Recent decades have seen the growth of writingstudies in many nations, focused on all levels ofeducation, and all uses of writing in society,using the resources of many differentdisciplines. This increased research attentionto writing reflects an increased recognition ofthe importance of writing in modern societies.Yet to a large extent the many emergingtraditions of writing research have neitherconnected fully nor shared their work.

This conference brings together the many writingresearchers from around the world, drawing on alldisciplines, and focused on all aspects ofwriting at all levels of development and in allsegments of society. This will be an opportunityto learn from different research traditions,share our findings, seek common agendas, and laythe groundwork for future communication andalliances.

As a first step to building this importantconversation we have invited some of the leadingwriting researchers, and those listed at thebottom of this call have already committed toparticipating.

We are now issuing an open call for proposals forpanels, roundtables, individual presentations,and poster presentations addressing* current research on writing,* methodological issues* reflections on ongoing research programs* considerations of national or disciplinary trajectories of research* agendas for further researchWe anticipate a program of up to two hundred and fifty presentations.

Proposals to present current research shouldspecify research questions, methods, data corpus,and findings, as well as the scope and durationof the research project. Proposals to provideoverviews of and reflections on researchtraditions and agendas should identify clearlythe relevant literatures to be considered.

Proposals for individual and poster presentationsshould be from 250 to 500 words in length andpanel and roundtable proposals, 500 to 1000words. Please indicate your preferred format.

Proposals should be sent by May 1, 2007 via emailto writing_at_education.ucsb.edu .Please includecomplete contact information.